Parful

Calculator

Four-Ball Handicap Allowance Calculator

Four-ball: everyone plays their own ball, best score counts. Enter each Handicap Index and the tee; Parful applies the allowance and shows strokes relative to the lowest player.

Or

Playing handicapsExample

6 · 13 · 16 · 22

In four-ball at 90% from a tee with a slope of 132, a course rating of 72.2 and a par of 72, the players play off 6, 13, 16, 22, receiving 0, 7, 10, 16 strokes relative to the lowest.

Player 1 index:
6.2
Player 2 index:
11.8
Player 3 index:
15.4
Player 4 index:
20.1
Scoring:
Match play (90%)
Slope Rating:
132
Course Rating:
72.2
Par:
72
How it was calculated
  1. course handicaps: 7, 14, 18, 24
  2. × 90%: 6, 13, 16, 22
  3. relative to the lowest (6): 0, 7, 10, 16 strokes

Rule: four ball

Worked example

In four-ball at 90% from a tee with a slope of 132, a course rating of 72.2 and a par of 72, the players play off 6, 13, 16, 22, receiving 0, 7, 10, 16 strokes relative to the lowest.

  1. course handicaps: 7, 14, 18, 24
  2. × 90%: 6, 13, 16, 22
  3. relative to the lowest (6): 0, 7, 10, 16 strokes

How it is calculated

Each player's Handicap Index becomes a Course Handicap for the tee, then the four-ball allowance is applied: 85% in stroke play, 90% in match play. In match play the lowest player then plays off scratch and the others receive the difference. These are the percentages Parful applies in its four-ball competitions.

When it does not apply

  • The allowance is applied to each player individually, then the difference is taken, never the other way round.
  • Clubs vary. If your competition specifies its own allowance, use the Playing Handicap calculator with a custom percentage.

Questions

Why 85% and not 100%?

With two balls per side the chance of one good score on any hole rises with handicap. The reduced allowance keeps high-handicap pairs from having an edge.

Do all four play off the lowest?

In match play, yes: the lowest plays off scratch and the other three receive their difference from that player.

The rule

This calculator applies the rule explained at www.parful.io/formats/four-ball.

Related calculators

Trademarks

. GHIN® and USGA® are registered marks of the United States Golf Association. World Handicap System™, WHS™, Handicap Index®, Score Differential™, Low Handicap Index™, Course Handicap™, Playing Handicap™, Course Rating™, Bogey Rating™ and Slope Rating™ are trademarks and service marks owned or licensed by the United States Golf Association and The R&A. Ryder Cup® is a trademark of PGA of America and Ryder Cup Europe. Pinehurst® is a trademark of Pinehurst, LLC. Parful is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by any of these organizations. Game names such as Stableford, Nassau, Wolf, Vegas and Skins are used descriptively.